Bahrainis attend funeral of protester killed by regime forces

People have taken to the streets in the Bahraini town of Bilad al-Qadeem to attend the funeral procession of a man killed by the Al Khalifa regime security forces.

On Sunday, thousands of Bahrainis took part in the funeral procession of Abdul Aziz al-Sa’eed, who lost his life after inhaling tear gas during an anti-regime protest in Bilad al-Qadeem yesterday.

Sa'eed was attending a demonstration in solidarity with the detained Shia opposition leader, Sheikh Ali Salman, when Al Khalifa forces attacked the rally.

The funeral procession turned violent after Bahraini forces clashed with the protesters, using tear gas to disperse them.

Earlier in the day, Salman called on people across the Persian Gulf country not to remain silent in the face of the Al Khalifa regime’s atrocities and press ahead with their protests.

The 49-year-old cleric, who is the secretary general of al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, Bahrain’s largest opposition bloc, made the comments in a message issued from prison.

The Bahraini regime has charged Salman with “promoting regime change by force, threats, and illegal means, and of insulting the Interior Ministry publicly.” Salman has been under arrest since December 28, 2014.

Bahrain has been witnessing almost daily protests against the Al Khalifa dynasty since early 2011. Since then, thousands of protesters have held numerous rallies in the streets of Bahrain, calling on the Al Khalifa royal family to relinquish power.